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Sunday, 31 October 2010

Hanan listens to music: Classmates of the girl whose name was found on the explosives package

By Nasser Arrabyee/31/10/2010

“Hanan was here with us yesterday, studying and discussing graduation projects,” said Sunday the classmates of the Yemeni girl who was arrested in Yemen for suspicion over sending explosives packages to United States.

The 24-year old Hanan Al Samawi , on Saturday February 30, 2010, attended as usual the faculty of engineering at the government-run Sana’a university where she is specializing in computer engineering. Hanan, who is the in fifth year, the last year in her bachelor degree, was arrested only hours after she got home.“Hanan brought to us yesterday her laptop for fixing some soft wares in it, how come she is today accused of terrorism, this is something unbelievable,” said Yahya Al Hammadi, the chairman of the students’ union at the faculty of engineering.

When Hanan was arrested she was only with her mother and two other younger sisters in her house in Shamlan area at the northern outskirt of the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Many military vehicles and counter-terrorism forces including women soldiers surrounded the whole neighborhood not only the house of Hana.Relatives told a local human rights group that they the security men used a friend of Hana to call her to open the door and she opened.

“ They deceived her by letting one of her friends call her, and opened quickly in home clothes , not veiled, and the security stormed the house,” said the human rights activist Abdul Rahman Barman who is working a lawyer for Hanan although he has not seen her or any of her relatives yet.

The 45-year mother of Hanan, insisted to go with her daughter and security took both of them to unknown place, usually in such cases the headquarters of the National Security Agency.

“I do not know the fate of my daughter and my wife,” the shocked father said Sunday after came back from the eastern province of Hudhrmout where works in an oil company.Mohammed Ahmed Al Samawi, the father, said his daughter is innocent.“My daughter has been always from home to college,” he said. The male classmates in the faculty of engineering were also shocked when they heard the news about Hanan.“Hanan was always quiet and nice with every one there must have been something wrong,” Said her classmate Sumiyah.

For her interests, some of her colleagues said she was always interested in Piano. “She is not even too religious, she is very normal, listens to music and dances and she was smart and very interested in her studies,” said her classmate Rasha. Hundreds of students from the faculty of engineering made demonstration inside their college demanding the release of their colleague Hanan.

The Yemeni parliament discussed the issue of the packages and supported what President Saleh said yesterday that he would continue fighting the terrorism and would not allow any external interference. Some MPs said intelligence game was behind the packages with aim of targeting Yemen.

The analyst Nabil Al Bukairi, agrees with the MPs who say intelligence game was behind the frenzy. “There is something being done to justify American strikes against Yemen ,” said Al Bukairi, researcher specialized in Al Qaeda. “Why only Saudi Arabia was the first to tell about the packages, does this mean Al Qaeda is penetrated (infiltrated) by the Saudi intelligence,” he wondered.